


Those things betwixt

by Dreams_of_Silence



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Abominations (Dragon Age), Dark Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Fade Demons, Fade Spirits, Fae & Fairies, Fairies, Inquisitor (Dragon Age) Being an Asshole, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scottish Folklore, Unseelie Court
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 11:17:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21457177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreams_of_Silence/pseuds/Dreams_of_Silence
Summary: Human and elf. Mortal and spirit. Spirit and demon. The Herald of Andraste was never one to be defined.Hints of Scottish folklore for this story, mostly to do with the Unseelie, worked into Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	Those things betwixt

Before them knelt the cause of this nightmare.

Their beloved Justinia's death, the ruining of any hope of peace between the Mages and Templars, and the loss of hundreds of innocent lives.

And before them was the only survivor.

The girl was in her early twenties with long black hair hiding both her expression and the slight pointed tips to her ears. Leliana had confiscated the armour and weaponry from the sleeping prisoner the previous day, she now wore a simple cotton dress, and finally she was awake.

It was...difficult for Leliana to even look at their prisoner. Difficult to prevent grief from blinding her and rage from choking her. So much had been lost, Divine Justinia, the woman who had returned so much of what Leliana had forfeited, had now been lost herself...

But Leliana would continue, she would keep her eyes clear and her mind sharp. There was no other choice when the sky crumbled down around them.

The prisoner was an assassin, of that Leliana had little doubt. The dark armour she had worn was made for stealth, her body honed for combat, and the long Elvhen daggers she carried, one plain iron and the other 'veil quartz' as the apostate named it, were of high quality and ornate enough to cost a small fortune. Along with the bone knife the selection reminded Leliana of blades used in rituals by both the Dalish and Tevinter alike...it was concerning.

As Cassandra and Leliana advanced the prisoner glanced up, revealing olive skin and amber eyes. She gave a disbelieving huff, and spoke quickly before they had a chance.

' My, the Right and Left Hands of the Divine, to what do I owe the honour?'

Leliana had first guessed the prisoner to be Antivan, perhaps even a Crow, however whilst she couldn't exactly place the accent it reminded her far more of Tevinter. If the Tevinter Imperium had a hand in the Divine's death then the consequences for all of Thedas would be dire.

' The Divine is Dead! The Conclave _destroyed_. E-Everyone...who attended is dead.'

Cassandra's voice trembled with grief and rage as she grabbed the prisoner's shoulders. Leliana kept quiet, holding her own anguish tight, it would not do for both the Left and Right Hands to break at once.

' Assassin...Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now.'

The prisoner, the assassin, didn't even flinch at Cassandra's face inches from her own or the hands digging into her. Yes, this was perhaps someone who could blow up the Conclave, and judging by the poisoned ring, accept their fate along with it. Someone ready to die for whatever cause it was that drove them to such madness.

' I was indeed at the Conclave. However I had no part in its destruction nor your Divine's death. I was merely there to watch.'

Why bother to deny it? Or at least make an attempt to be slightly convincing. The prisoner's expression was calm, her voice a melodic monotone, either she truly did not care for the hundreds of deaths or was hiding it far better than an innocent bystander would, even an assassin.

Cassandra snarled and looked away before pulling the prisoner's shackled hands up between them. Leliana kept her face blank as she saw the prisoner's wrists rubbed raw under the iron shackles. The guard had ran to them the moment she began to stir, when had the prisoner had time to try to escape her binds?

' Explain this!'

The assassin's hand flared with a sparking green light as Cassandra spoke and genuine pain and confusion flickered over the girl's face. Not part of her plan then.

' That was not my doing either. I think I'm even more displeased at it than you are.'

Her voice held forced amusement but the way the prisoner keep staring at her hand even as the light died showed her genuine unease.

' You're lying!'

' We need her Cassandra.' Leliana interrupted pushing the Right Hand away before Cassandra could get too distracted by her anger. Then Leliana turned to the prisoner, controlling her voice to keep her own grief hidden.

' Do you remember what happened. How this began. '

' There is...holes in my memories. I was at the Conclave with the others. Then...I was running, I believe I was in the Fade. Fearlings were chasing me. Then a...woman reached out to me. '

' Fearlings?'

They had already had reports of the woman who had stood behind the prisoner when she fell out of the rift but...The fact she claimed to have come from the Fade, that she even knew what a fearling looked like spoke of a complexity to this puzzle Leliana disliked.

' Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift.'

Cassandra was correct, no matter how useful the story could be, now was not the time. Leliana gave a quick nod before turning to stride back down the hall. She would leave the prisoner to Cassandra to shake up, she had issues to deal with that required a more subtle hand.

~*~

There was nothing more he could do for the girl bearing his mark now. Solas had worked though the night, gritting his teeth every time she gave a soft cry of pain when the mark flared up, as he fought to keep his own power from consuming her. Though later Solas was glad for the gasps and the murmured words in her sleep when he realised that there was no hint of her conscious in the Fade. They were his only hope that her mind had not been scrambled by the process.

Nothing could be done to force her to awaken, Solas could only hope she would do so in time.

The temple of Sacred Ashes had been a disaster. Not only had Corypheus lived through the explosion, a feat Solas was both impressed at and deeply concerned over, but so many had died in unlocking the orb. Surely there had been another way, another path Solas could have taken to prevent this outcome. One that didn't leave the darkspawn Magister with most of Fen'harel's, _his,_ power. Now Solas must help this fledgling organisation, one without even a name yet, to fix his mistake. He could have accepted the deaths, accepted the hole ripped in the veil, accepted the mark burned into the unfortunate girl, _if only Corypheus had been eradicated. _But no, he must face the future, guide the humans as well as he could, reclaim his orb and put down the monster he helped empower. 

Later...later he would let the guilt of his actions wash over him, for now he had to fight.

Leliana had been quick to send Solas into combat when he revealed he could do no more for the prisoner. She had been suspicious, and with good reason, to find a mage so dedicated to the Fade at the perfect time to offer his advice. However the chances of him being drawn to an event like the Conclave were reasonable and in the end Solas was simply too useful to not take advantage of. Still Leliana had sent her scouts to keep an eye on him, though most had been lost to shades and wraiths.

Eventually Solas joined a dwarf, the one the Seeker had taken prisoner, in combat when the last of Leliana's scouts had to retreat. How exactly Varric had escaped he was unsure of.

They had stumbled upon a rift, a hole in the veil, that a small group of soldiers had taken to guarding. Though he had bristled at Varric calling him 'Chuckles' Solas quickly found that they worked well together, acting as backup to the soldiers.

There was no end in sight however. The rift continued to spew out shades and wraiths.

Solas had never felt so limited in his magic as he did now. Once he could have kept this up for days, but it had been less than a quarter of an hour and he already had resorted to taking lyrium. He was exhausted and the back and forth banter with the dwarf had dwindled to occasional shouts of warning.

His elven ears picked up the sound of distant voices down the path behind him, reinforcements perhaps?

Yes that sounded like Seeker Cassandra. With luck he would be able to rest at least briefly when she arrived. With a grunt Solas cast a barrier around himself just in time to block a shade's claws, another soldier had fallen leaving only two standing and little chance of cornering the shades. Even with the chance of reinforcements they may have to retreat soon.

Then a figure darted past him, not even glancing as they plunged a dagger into the shade's eye, before they disappeared into the battle with a trail of black hair. Solas took a second to reorientate himself as the Seeker charged past as well. Another shade came at him from his left, pulling him back into the fight, though occasionally he'd see the trail of black as the prisoner danced around the battlefield.

Finally fee of immanent danger Solas looked up to see the rift still hanging open in the air...but of course, the girl wouldn't even think to close it herself. Solas darted forward, ducking between wraiths to reach her.

' Quickly before more come through!'

Solas grabbed her mark hand and yanked it towards the rift: Letting out a sigh of relief when it connected and the rift started to crumble in on itself. He was so focused on the rift Solas only felt the blade at his throat when she slowly drew it away. When Solas released her hand the girl turned and raised an eyebrow at him, baring her teeth in a grin.

' It isn't too wise to grab me in the middle of a fight.' Her tone was despairing even as her eyes shone with amusement when Solas touched the thin red line on his throat.

' So I see.'

She turned away from him, watching the last of the shades fall.

' Shall you be holding my hand the whole way or will I be able to close the next rift by myself?'

' I believe you'll manage. The magic that opened the breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I simply sought to direct the mark and it seems my theory on how to do so was correct.'

The prisoner looked different awake. Asleep she had been discarded like a broken doll on the floor of the cell, rigid manacles swamping delicate hands, face shrouded beneath the ink of her hair. Everything about her seemed fragile....pitiful. Solas had fought against his guilt and a strange need to protect her.

Now she moved like one of the great cats, completely confident in herself and her control of the surroundings. Amber eyes flickering with interest and something a little sinister as he spoke.

Solas had the uneasy feeling the blade to his throat had been deliberate.

' Meaning it could also close the breach itself.' Cassandra interrupted his musings.

' Possibly. It seems you own the key to our salvation.'

The prisoner let out a disbelieving huff, like the idea of her being _anyone's_ salvation was beyond ridiculous. Solas would need to have his agents look into her, there was far more going on than he currently knew about. Solas had already been forced to have one sleepless night, leaving him out of the loop, but tonight Solas would gather his spies' reports and hunt down information on the prisoner.

Cassandra clearly interpreted the girl's huff differently, spinning round to face her with a finger under the girls nose.

' You might think it funny assassin but our people are dying as we speak!'

'Woah, Seeker try not to snap at all of your prisoners.' The dwarf strolled forward, settling between the two woman.

Cassandra scowled and stomped off, rubbing at the side of her head, as the dwarf smirked at the prisoner.

'Varric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tag along. Now what did you do to piss of the Seeker so quickly.'

'I am a malicious menace who doesn't know when to be mute.' She replied with false solemness. ' Oh, and she thinks I caused the hole in the sky.'

Solas now understood why her attitude got on Cassandra's nerves, though the question remained if she was truly as unaffected by the chaos and destruction around her as she acted.

' Well now she'll have two of us to be exasperated at in the valley.'

Cassandra stormed back over to them at that. ' Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but...'

' Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control any more. You need me. Besides...this way you can keep both of your pesky prisoners together.'

' Ugh...'

Solas took the pause from Cassandra's agitated pacing to slip back into the conversation.

' My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live.'

' He means: I kept that mark from killing you whist you slept.'

The girl turned to look at Solas, her amber gaze thoughtful...Like she was slowly dissecting him, learning a little too much. In fact everything about her eyes felt off. They were larger than most humans' and judging by the slight points to her ears she had far more elf blood than the average half-breed. But it was the way her amber eyes flickered with light, like fire dancing at the bottom of a well, that unsettled him. When she smirked and blinked reality crashed in around him, leaving Solas unsteady and stumbling.

' I appreciate you doing so, though I imagine it was hardly for my sake.'

' Ah... No.'

What had just happened? His hands were shaking, absent mindedly he rubbed them, trying to place the source of his pounding heart. He was afraid? Of what? Of the Breach? Of being discovered? Or merely the girl's gaze?

' Cassandra, you should know the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power.'

But was she a mage? Under the mark's magic Solas couldn't even tell. And if not then what exactly was she?

' Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly.'

The Seeker marched off, clearly expecting them to follow behind. The girl was quiet as she walked down the bank besides him but her face would flicker through different subtle expressions: Amusement, frustration and curiosity.

A worrying suspicion was starting to gnaw at Solas but...in the end the she would most likely die to closing the breach, his concerns mattered little, and if she didn't then best not think these thoughts out loud and risk drawing her attention.

' Aren't you feeling a little chilly dressed like that?'

Varric called out behind them. The dwarf made a decent observation: The prisoner had been dressed in a sleeveless cotton dress without anything to cover her legs or feet as she waded through the snow.

' What's the matter Varric, do you not approve of the Seeker's fashion choices?'

Cassandra turned sharply. Frustration, confusion and then guilt marched across her face. So it was ignorance not just animosity.

' I had nothing to do with this! Leliana was the one-'

' Well Leliana better have my coat with her once we reach the forward camp. You needn't worry Varric, this cold doesn't bother me.'

When they next encountered enemies Solas took the chance to watch the prisoner. She fought like she was dancing, never stationary, as she took down shades and wraiths.

She clearly had experience, not just in fighting, but specifically fighting these types of foes. There were not many places one could train to fight demons... but it was more than that. He watched as she quite calmly darted past a shade to stab another that was behind Varric, the shade didn't even notice her. And this was no new interesting development caused by the mark, _she expected the shade to ignore her_.

She stopped with a huff right next to Solas as Cassandra battered down the last shade, he avoided flinching at her closeness but the girl just smiled.

' Shall we continue?'

Cassandra nodded and moved back to the front to lead their small group up the next hill.

Once the Breach was closed he would have to find answers, there was little chance of the girl surviving, this may be the only time to ask. Solas pondered for a moment, searching for a question that could give him a hint of were to search without alerting the Seeker of what he suspected.

' You are half elf yet your tattoos remind me of the Dalish vallaslin. Specifically to their god of death and fortune, Falon'din.'

He gestured to the girl's wrists where the delicate woven lines encircled them. He had noticed when tending to the mark that small snakes were hidden among the branches and now after hearing her accent he believed them to represent Tevinter. A rather unusual combination.

' Mmm, yes. I may not wear them for the same reason as the Dalish but they do represent one of the Evanuris.'

The prisoner reached up to lightly touch to the tattoo encircling her throat. Her eyes sparkled with a cruel mischief as she spoke, like she was listening to a joke he couldn't hear.

' So for what reason do you wear them?'

She stopped walking, turned to face him and gave a wide wolfish smile.

' Why, they're to act as a reminder. Lest we forget those who once enslaved us.'

She carried on walking, a knowing grin on her face, leaving him behind speechless.

Somehow this half elf remembered what the Dalish had long forgotten. Solas had assumed the knowledge to be lost to all but memories in the fade, certainly he had found no traces of it in Southern Thedas. Yet it seemed the elven slaves from Tevinter had found a way to pass along the true secrets of their history, stories repeated only in the dead of night.

And she knew, or at least suspected, that he was ancient elvhen for that reply was too pointed to mean anything else. There was a chance she just recognised the slight differences in appearance between the elvhen and elves but Solas couldn't rule out the chance she knew his true identity.

The girl had to survive his mistake, even though Solas had a place to start searching now, he couldn't let her unique knowledge vanish. With the mystery of how she survived the conclave as well, no, he would not let her die to the breach.

They continued towards the forward camp, Varric asking the girl questions and she replying with the slightly mocking answers Solas was beginning to expect.

If it wasn't for the way she flinched, stumbled and cradled the marked hand close to her chest when it flared up Solas could almost believe she was unbothered by their situation. Though if the prisoner was as Solas suspected then she might simply be incapable of truly feeling the fear as everyone else did.

Watching the others interact with her also gave clues. Varric was curious, but had a resigned weariness when ever she spoke, the dwarf had suspicions as well. She had talked with Cassandra before reaching them and the Seeker continued to snap at her, defensive of even the littlest questions, though he suspected the Seeker would react as such to a wide range of things. The Seeker was too blinded by her emotions to look closely.

They had nearly reached the forward camp, a fade rift hovering before the gates, when the prisoner dropped to the ground like a stone.

She remained perfectly silent but even curling in on herself didn't stop the violent shaking. Solas dashed to her side, with a rift so close this was hardly the time to stop, but quickly raised his hands when she let out a snarl.

' I mean you no harm. I only wish to look so I might ease your pain.'

_' Fasta vass. Elana ma telir prear incaensor tor!'_

' I can't.  _Sathan suledin elvarel.'_

She growled before shoving her glowing green hand into his, the sparks biting at his skin. Quickly Solas drew his magic and focused on the damage; the mark was a tangled mess and he worried it would rip away at her if he was forced to split his attention. This would take time to undo the damage already done.

' You two mind hurrying it up? Looks like the shades have noticed us.' Varric called out, then Solas heard the dwarf's crossbow firing.

' We need to get inside the forward camp. She won't be able to close the rift like this.'

' If you haven't noticed that rift is in the way, Chuckles.'

Cassandra moved in front of them, shield raised.

' Varric and I will create a distraction whilst you slip inside. Go now!'

Solas quickly lifted the girl's arm over his shoulder, supporting her weight, as they worked their way around the fighting. The prisoner was feather light and when she stumbled next to him Solas lifted her up, carrying her weight with ease.

'Open the gate!'

Cassandra's voice shouted behind them as Solas threw a barrier over himself and the girl, backing up against the gate. He could hear Leliana's voice behind them, then shouting as the soldiers moved to follow the Seeker's commands. The girl had wrapped her arms tightly around his neck giving him the freedom to cast magic as Cassandra and Varric slowly worked their way closer.

Finally the gate opened, Solas staggering through and hastily dropping the girl to the side before turning to cast barriers on the last of their group as they darted through the gate. The gate shut with a slam behind them, soldiers rushing to barricade it.

' Solas tend to the prisoner, I will speak with Leliana.'

Solas gave Cassandra a vague reply as he knelt before the prisoner, who had had pulled herself up against the wall. The girl's gaze was unfocused as she followed his movements.

' I'm going to try and stop the pain in your hand now, please keep still.'

Solas kept his voice low and soothing, he suspected she was halfway between fleeing and fainting as he gently clasped her hand between his own.

Solas focused in on the mark: It had torn through her arm, green light shining through cracks, progressing alarmingly. By his estimation the girl should have had a few more days but instead the magic had crept under her skin, eating away at her from the inside. It was almost as if the tangled web was trying to drag her physically into the fade and her body lacked the defences needed to protect her.

Solas tuned out the arguing in the background.

A few threads of magic were nearing her heart and it was there he started, carefully prying the roots away from between her muscles and cutting them. Perhaps it was what saved the girl in the first place but the magic appeared to find her a more hospitable habitat than Solas first thought. It was drawing from her life force...no, what was that?

He gently coaxed the strange energy closer, not exactly hunger or exhaustion but... Solas chocked out a gasp.

_The sky was ripped open and oh Maker, this is the end...please I-_

_My wife, she was a the conclave. It was just a delivery, she must have got out in time, she must have, she must have, she-_

_...They charged.....None to return to the lands of their mothers. By cruel magic taken-_

_It's just a dream...I'm in the F-Fade, I must, I must be in the Fade. You only get demons in the Fade. I just need to WAKE UP-_

_Oh no, please no, those are my guts....Oh Maker it hurts-_

_This was the end-_

_Please-_

_I don't want to die._

Solas stumbled backwards, landing heavily and barely turning to the side before vomiting. He was shaking painfully, tears soaked his face,  _this was the end, he couldn't fix his mistakes, the veil would be- _ No, this wasn't  _his_ . The pain, the fear...the hopelessness. This wasn't his. Solas scrunched up his eyes tight and focused on taking deep breaths. His heart pounding. 

Varric was shouting something from across the courtyard. He could hear the dwarf's footsteps as he approached.

' Chuckles, hey Chuckles you alright?'

Solas grabbed a handful of snow and wiped at his mouth.

' I am well. It was merely backlash from the mark. Please let me continue.'

Varric grumbled as the prisoner watched them both with wary eyes. She knew what happened, and she must suspect he knew what she was. Now it was just a matter of if she would continue to play along.

Hesitantly she reached out her mark hand to Solas.

This time when Solas worked his way through the mark's magic it was with far more caution. She held her...energy tightly to her, shifting out of the way as he tugged at the mark. Solas couldn't exactly remove the magic leaking into her but he could at least move it back into the palm of her hand.

Finally he withdrew his hands. The girl briefly bowed her head, her eyes showing the gratitude her voice did not.

This was...No, he could work with this. She clearly had enough self preservation to hide and control her nature. He should be able to predict any problems that might arise and lure her away from them. However she might not consider the consequences of the breach, seeing it as only a feast to be had, if so then it might prove difficult to force her to close it. There was also the chance she was actually brought to the conclave by Corypheus in the first place, it seemed unlikely for one such as her to willingly surround themselves with Templars.

' I found a coat and some boots for you, kid.'

The...girl, accepted the clothing with a happy smile and pulled herself up against the wall, leaning against it as she pulled on the boots. The coat was too big, smothering her.

' I take it you didn't manage to convince the 'scary' Nightingale to give me my coat back.'

' Didn't even try.'

The banter alone made him wonder just how long she'd been here for. It was natural, all too human, eerily innocent.

Cassandra was stomping her way through the snow towards them. It seems the remains of the conclave officials were finally done arguing. 

' We are going to charge forward with the soldiers, you may not survive long enough to close the breach otherwise. How are you feeling?'

The Seeker's tone was still harsh but some genuine worry shone through, whether it was for her prisoner's life as well as the breach Solas was unsure.

' I can walk, I can fight. Solas' expertise in controlling the mark is incredible. I would however prefer to get this over and done with, my hand fixed and the breach closed.'

….That last bit felt targeted towards him, towards his fears she wouldn't help. It said something that she was trying to calm his concerns however, unless she was aiming to remind him she was aware of them in the first place. Her eyes flicked to him at that, Solas could swear she was trying not to laugh.

' Very well, come.' Cassandra marched off, expecting them to follow as always. Not that there was any choice.

' Leliana, bring everyone left in the valley. Everyone.'

The Chancellor gave the group a seething look as Cassandra walked past, though it quickly shifted to the prisoner.

' On your head be the consequences, Seeker.'

As they trudged through the thick snow Solas kept an eye on the girl, she stumbled more often now though that could be from the bulky clothing she was carrying: When she fought it was clear she was used to being light on her feet. Every few minutes the mark would crackle with energy and she'd scratch at it or shake her hand like she could flick it off. Varric was also watching and it was of little surprise to Solas when the dwarf spoke up, clearly trying to distract her.

' You know I've heard a lot of elven travelling with Hawke, and a fair bit of tevene curses. Never heard them mixed like that before. I'm sure you have some interesting story to tell.'

' Perhaps but it's not the sort you'd like to hear, Varric.'

' I've travelled with an escaped slave, a blood mage and the abomination who blew up the chantry. I'm just saying, I know my fair share of sad stories, if you want someone to listen I'm all ears.'

' I- It's appreciated Varric. Perhaps there will come a time when I'll tell you some of it.'

' Fair enough, I'm not pushing....So what was it you did say to Chuckles back there?'

When she just shrugged, Solas stepped in. ' She asked that I cut the mark out her hand.'

' Yeh, lets wait till after closing the breach.'

' Of course, after all I might just die in the process anyway. '

' Way to kill the mood, kid.'

' Aww, you care. I feel better already.'

Whether or not she was like this before the conclave exploded the girl's sense of self preservation was severely lacking.

' On that note kid....what actually is your name? Because I'm going to have to come up with a proper nickname for you soon otherwise.'

'...I just assumed all of you didn't want to get too attached to me. No one's asked me since I woke up.'

Cassandra let out an awkward cough, but kept silent and her eyes forward.

' Tell you what, I'll get you something to call me once we fix the hole in the sky.'

Something to call her, not her actual name.

' No name we can lament if you do die closing this thing? '

' Hmm, no. I rather like the idea of Cassandra and Leliana having to give a speech about my noble sacrifice whilst skirting around the fact_ they never asked my name. _I'd like it carved in stone: Here lies the random girl we took prisoner, died in the year 9:41 Dragon stitching the sky back together. '

' I think she might actually be more pissed off about the whole prisoner thing than I am, Seeker.'

Cassandra didn't reply, just kept her face forward and hidden from the group, hands clenched into fists. The silence that followed as they made their way to the soldiers was tense, made more awkward by the way the girl seemed perfectly comfortable in it.

When they finally reached the rest of the army the girl paused, closed her eyes, breathed in deeply and let out a ragged sigh....Like she had been drowning this whole time. The others would no doubt view it as shock upon seeing the wounded soldiers but-

No, it was the soldiers.

The wounded lay on the ground or propped up against the rubble, soldiers were frantically preparing themselves, praying and tending to the dead, some staring off unseeing towards the ruins of Temple of Sacred Ashes.

They were in pain, they were afraid and desperate....And the prisoner was drinking it all in like a fine wine.

How Solas didn't realise before, how he didn't notice something so _obvious..._most likely due to his own exhausted mind and the high running tensions of all of them.

But _of course_, Solas had seen how the mark was eating away at her, draining her. She was starving. Now she had the fear, or despair, of the Commander's army. That was likely the reason she'd been hounding Cassandra as well, the Seeker was impetuous in her emotions.

They made their way past the wounded, towards the battlefield. It was short work to wipe out the shades and wraiths with the help of the remaining soldiers. The prisoner braced herself as they reached the next rift, expecting to stumble, as she reached up and slammed the rift shut. She didn't quite fall but instead hunched over, gasping for breath.

Solas came to her side, quickly checking over the mark in her hand.' You are becoming quite proficient at this.'

She let out a slightly hysterical laugh.' Please, let them end when we close the Breach....I don't think I can keep this up.'

The desperation in the girl's voice was like a slap, what ever else she may be she was still some unfortunate elf-blooded girl caught up in his mistakes. She might be good at hiding it but she was afraid, likely made worse by her condition as well as the mark.

' I'll do what I can to get you through this.' He murmured, looking away from her.

The Templar, the one who had objected so vehemently at having an apostate tend to their prisoner, was approaching.

' Lady Cassandra, you managed to close the rift? Well done.'

' Do not congratulate me, Commander. This is the prisoner's doing.' The Seeker's voice was awash with emotion. A good deal of irritation still, begrudging respect and just a little bit of hope.

' Is it? I hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of people getting you here.'

The prisoner kept quiet. Solas was surprised she hadn't instantly said something to dash their growing hope....That was promising, her level of self control was unusual. Still it was probably for the best she held her tongue around the Templar.

The Templar rubbed the back of his neck at the awkward silence, then hastily spoke again.' The way to the Temple should be clear. Leliana will try to meet you there.'

' Then we best move quickly. Give us time, Commander.'

' Maker watch over you...for all our sakes.'

The Commander turned away, throwing a soldier's arm over his shoulders and helping him limb towards the regrouping army. The prisoner was already moving onwards, Cassandra jogging to catch up, Solas kept an eye on her as the girl dropped down the ledge towards the Temple of Sacred Ashes. She seemed to be more steady on her feet now, the soldiers giving her a second wind. With luck she would be well enough to continue fighting.

The smell of burning flesh reached Solas as he joined them, corpses still burning with embers littered the ground before the group...The destruction was truly horrific, It could have been worth it. If he had not miscalculated. Somehow Corypheus had survived and now these charred corpses were as much his fault as that monster's. This was....

The girl reached out to squeeze his shoulder.

' Come on, lets fix it.'

Her voice was kinder than it should be, possibly could be under the circumstances, and...Solas could not meet her eyes.

' That is where you walked out of the fade and our soldiers found you. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was.'

Cassandra's spoke barely above a whisper, her words choked with anguish, as they climbed through the ruined building.

' Did they give a description of her?'

' A being of white light, nothing more...'

They stepped back out into the open to find a large rift before them, green light twisting from it to the Breach above. As the group stared at the sight before them Leliana and her men approached from behind. The prisoner didn't look away from the Breach above as Cassandra moved over to gave out instructions to the soldiers. Solas took a step closer to the girl, watching as the green light of the Breach danced in her eyes like veilfire.

' This will change things. This...will change everything.'

Solas wasn't sure if her softly murmured words were meant for his ears. He was about to ask when the Seeker approached the prisoner.

' This is your chance to end this.'

' I'll try, Seeker. The Breach is a threat to all of us. I hope that one sacrifice alone is enough to close it.'

' You do not expect to live?'

' No, I don't.....I, uh. Let my family take the body. Tell them this was done willingly. Tell them not to lash out.'

Cassandra searched her eyes and then gave one brief nod.

' Come, that rift was the first and it is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach.' Solas murmured.

He stuck close to the prisoner as they found their way to the rift through the ruins. The closer they got the calmer she seemed to grow, moving as if in a dream. She didn't even seem that surprised when a voice echoed out around them.

_'Now is the hour of our victory, bring forth the sacrifice.' _

'What are we hearing?' The Seeker called out.

'At a guess? The person who created the breach. ' Solas replied. Yes, that was Corypheus' voice.

'It's just an echo.... A memory bumping around the fade.' The girl's voice was off, a little hazy.

_'Keep the sacrifice still.'_

Solas briefly turned back to the memory, with luck the group would catch a glimpse of Corypheus.

' Hey, no, kid! Don't touch it! It's evil! This stuff is red lyrium.'

Solas turned sharply at the dwarf's panicked voice. The girl was crouched before red crystals jutting out of the ground, examining it. She wasn't quite reaching out for it yet, but she was standing too close.

' It sings in my brother's voice. An old tevene lullaby...'

Now her words were truly slurred, as if she was sleep talking. Solas edged forward quietly, the girl offered no resistance when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gently pulled her backwards.

' I'm not going to touch it. It doesn't sing nearly as well as my little brother.'

She sounded amused, letting out a little huff as she turned to face him. Her eyes were dilated.

' It is still affecting you. We should move away.'

She gave a noise of agreement and stood up, weaving her way through the red lyrium to the other side.

' What's it even doing here?' The dwarf was still uneasy, if Solas remembered correctly Varric had unfortunate encounters the stuff in the past.

' Magic could have drawn on lyrium beneath the temple, corrupted it.'

As they dropped down the last ledge to the rift the prisoner's hand flared up with light. The rift was close now, the air filled with static and a strong wind that spiralled down from the Breach.

_' Someone help me!'_

_' Etunash...what are you?'_

' That was your voice. Most Holy called out to you. But...'

Cassandra's voice cut off as the air crackled around them and grew hazy, the prisoner's mark flashing in time with the rift as it let out a green mist. Figures could be made out before them: Divine Justinia forced to hang in the air and a shadowy figure looming over her. A third shadowy figure strode into view, just recognisable as the prisoner.

_' Void, you're an ugly thing aren't you? Why don't you put down the old woman and-'_

_' Run while you can! warn them!' _ The Divine interrupted.

_' We have an intruder. Kill her. Now!' _

_' Oh? You think-'_

With a bright flash the window showing echoes of the past closed, cutting off the girl's words.

' You _were_ there! Who attacked? And the- '

Cassandra's panicked voice echoed across the ruins until the prisoner's calm voice interrupted.

' Seeker, I've said before. My memories are missing.'

' What are we seeing?'

Solas stepped in to give a clearer answer than the prisoner had.

' Echoes of what happened here Seeker. The Fade bleeds into this place. This rift is not sealed but it is closed...albeit temporarily. I believe that with the mark, the rift can be opened, and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side.'

' That means demons. Stand ready!' Cassandra called out to the soldiers.

The prisoner walked forward to stand in front of the rift. Closing her eyes she breathed deeply in and out as the soldiers prepared themselves. Then with a quick nod she shifted into a battle stance and raised her hand to the rift, stumbling slightly as it connected.

The rift exploded open and an enormous demon was pulled through, letting out a rumbling laugh as it landed on the temple floor. Then the rift spat shades and wraiths out after it. Cassandra was quick to call the archers but the demon shook the arrows off easily.

' It's Pride! Archers focus on the shades and wraiths! Solas ice magic will do little against it! This will take a while!'

The prisoner's commands were instinctive, natural, and it was a big difference to the soft tones she normally used.

The girl moved fluidly through the battlefield, almost gentle as she drove her dagger into shade and wraith. She fought with complete certainty, not even looking at where her dagger was going as she danced through the battle. As Cassandra charged up to the Pride demon, forcing it into close combat and preventing it from using its whip like lightning, the prisoner carefully made her way round to behind the Pride demon.

Just as the Pride demon bent down to swipe at Cassandra, sending her skidding across the ground, the girl launched herself at it and started to_ climb the demon's back_, hands clutching surely at the spikes that littered it. The demon finally noticed when she started to stab away at its many eyes. She hung on tightly to its horns as it shook its head back and forth, clawing at her and roaring in pain. The girl managed to give it a few more quick stabs before being flung off, rolling across the temple floor and landing in a crouch.

' Something's wrong!'

' Something's wrong? _Yeh, you jumped on the damn thing's back!'_ Varric shouted back.

' No, I mean it should be weakening by now!'

' Disrupt the rift!' Solas called over to them.

Before she could move towards the rift the Pride demon swung at her again, clawing wildly. She skipped back out of its reach but now the demon was solely focused on the one who'd taken half its eyes. Cassandra ran up behind the demon and started to hack away at the back of its legs, giving her enough time to slip into its blind side and dart under an arm towards the rift.

The girl grabbed a hold of the rift one more. With a crack of green light the demon fell to its knees at the same time as the prisoner did.

'Now!' Cassandra screamed.

Soldiers rushed towards the demon, stabbing whatever they could reach as it swung at them. Lightning whipped out around the Pride demon, throwing them back, as it struggled to stand again.

Solas kept an eye on the girl as she recovered, waiting till she stood and was able to walk steadily before calling out to disrupt the rift again. She gave a quick nod and light flared from her hand once more. He steadily made his way to her as the girl collapsed again, on her knees for longer this time. She didn't speak, just grabbed his hand when he offered it.

It took three more attempts to bring the Pride demon down permanently. By the end the prisoner was clutching onto his arm, gasping for breath, unable to stand and barely aware of the battlefield around her. What ever magic kept the wraiths and shades from noticing her held throughout, though that didn't extend to himself, and the Seeker and soldiers were focused on distracting the demon at all costs whilst she recovered.

Finally with a loud crash the demon fell. Cheering drowned out her heavy breaths.

' Now! Seal the rift!'

' Give her a moment Seeker.' Varric called out.

' We can't risk another coming through!'

The prisoner get out a soft whine, tucking herself into Solas' side, forehead resting against his arm as she shook.

' One last attempt da'len and then you can rest.'

The girl let out a noise somewhere between a sob and a huff and leaned back against him, staring up at the rift. She took a deep breath, then another. At the end of the third breath she reached up and grabbed at the rift.

With a loud crack green light flew from the mark towards the rift, like a thousand strands of lightning woven together. Solas quickly pulled her back when the mark's power nearly yanked her flat on her face. She curled in on herself, like she was trying to pull her body away from the green light tearing up her arm. With one quick jerk towards her the beam of light doubled in size and she let out a broken inhuman wail that sent shivers down his spine.

Solas wrapped his hands around her arm; supporting her and sending healing magic through her body, though the mark lashed out in thin wires whenever he tried to pull its power back into her hand.

The girl was managing however, slowly but surely the breach was shrinking in on its self. _She was doing it_. Solas let out a shaky breath when the static in the air from the breach cut off, the wound in the sky still visible but sewn loosely closed. Still she pushed magic up into it and Solas sent his own magic into her, fighting the onslaught of the mark as it ate its way up her arm.

The sky was healing steadily now, inch by inch closing but Solas was running out of his own magic to slow the progress of the mark as it raced towards her heart. Her eyes had rolled back and her once manic heartbeat was slowing, letting out a stuttering rhythm. Through his magic he could feel her body slowly shutting down on itself.

' That's enough, you must stop.'

But she couldn't hear him any more. She wouldn't make it. She would die to the breach before she could seal it fully. With the last trickle of his magic Solas reached out to her mind.

' Enough da'len! _Sleep!_'

The magic broke off with a loud bang and she crumple forward, unconscious. The shock wave echoing across the sky. Solas only managed to control his fall a little better than she, landing on his arm instead of hitting his head against the temple's hard stone.

' You made her stop! Why?'

Solas was exhausted, barely able to keep himself awake from the mana drain let alone argue with the Seeker.

' Her heart would have given out before she could seal the Breach completely. The Breach is now safe and we can find a way to remove it without killing off the only one who can fit it in a hasty attempt. '

He interrupted before the Seeker could continue her argument.

' I need lyrium, she is still unstable.'

That finally sent the angry Seeker away. Though as much as he hated taking lyrium it was true he needed it. Solas pushed himself upright, sitting cross legged as he gently rolled the girl over. Her skin was pale as ash, lips turning blue, blood still dripping from her nose and ears. If it wasn't for the faint flutter of a pulse he's assume she was already dead.

The air around them was growing colder, frost creeping up the fabric of her borrowed coat. Well at least it would seem Solas wasn't the only one trying to heal her. However its magic was rather noticeable, and could mean her death sentence.

Varric was the one to approach him. He silently handed the blue bottle of lyrium over to Solas as he watched the frost creep up her skin.

' I hoped....damn, I'll keep the Seeker away from her.'

He should have assumed the dwarf would recognise the signs. Varric had travelled with one like her before after all.

Quickly Solas gulped down the lyrium, focusing on the wounded girl before him rather than the titian's song echoing through the liquid. He warmed the air around them just enough to chase away the frost growing on her skin. The mark had drained her nearly dry, when she woke they'd be lucky if she didn't reveal herself with her hunger. At least it meant Solas could get closer to her core without being hit with emotional backlash as he carefully fixed the muscle around her heart and coiled the mark's tendrils back towards her hand. It would never be the neat little scar it started off as but now she's still be able to use that hand.

The prisoner would live. When she woke he would be there to prevent her blowing her cover. Whilst she slept Solas would search the Fade for any trace of how this strange elf-blooded girl became an abomination.

**Author's Note:**

> I've not actually played this game, only read too much fan-fiction and watched cut scenes. This means I'm going to break cannon. It'll happen both because I've read too many of these fan fics to want to follow the exact same plot and also because I've only read these fan fics....so, yeh.  
You can have fun working out which bits I've deliberately ignored/changed and which were an accident that might ruin the story....please warn me if I do the later. ;)
> 
> It's strange. For writing this I finally watched the tutorial section on Youtube. Turns out there's a lot more buildings around and less snow than I had imagined. Also a lot of dialogue other writers don't use much, I was surprised how even in the opening to the game there was still bits I didn't know. 
> 
> So a few other things:  
This might get dark, there's definitely going to be implied darkness but depending on what I'm willing to write at times it might get really rather dark.
> 
> I'll admit I'm not going to put as much work into the elvhen language as some people do, I'm basically using this translator: https://lingojam.com/ElvenDAI but I might throw in some Gaelic too.
> 
> I'm badly dyslexic and I'll probably use the wrong words on occasion, please tell me when I get things wrong. I really can't see it and I don't want the wrong words to pull readers out of the story.
> 
> I vaguely remember something about demon's healing their abominations...can't find that scrap of information now though. Sorry if it's wrong. Also of all of them I didn't think Cassandra would be the one I found hardest to write, though I have made her extra angry.
> 
> The next chapter won't be as long, I knew I wouldn't finish it if I didn't get all of the tutorial out the way.
> 
> So...thoughts so far? I'm curious what one chapter can create in the ways of theories.


End file.
